‘You’re fired!’ The TV shows you can’t stomach any more

We loved this show for the first four or five seasons. It had a really good mix of candidates, different ages and walks of life. I think it was after season nine that we started to feel the programme was losing its authenticity. Contestants started to look like homogenous Love Islanders, all the same demographic – 20-30 age bracket, highly polished body image, eye on a post-show influencer career, etc. It lost its uniqueness and became just another reality show. Ngaire Vine, 56, Derbyshire

Ludwig

The first season was excellent but the new series is a massive disappointment. In the first, David Mitchell’s character was believably eccentric and Anna Maxwell Martin was amusingly quirky. In this series they have taken interesting and believable character traits too far and the whole thing is ridiculous. I had been eagerly awaiting a second series but have stopped watching. It’s a shame that two excellent actors have been given such ludicrous scripts. Margaret Ainsbury, 78, Denbigh

The Chase

The Chase feels well and truly past its sell-by date. It’s a real shame, because I love Bradley Walsh, and the Chasers themselves are all fantastic. However, the core concept of the show has grown tired. The player endures the initial cash builder, sweats through a head-to-head round and scrapes together money (usually a pitiful amount) just to pool it into a central pot. And what is the reward for surviving all of that? Watching it vanish in the final chase because the chaser rattles through a block of questions in a fraction of the allotted time. I want to keep loving it, but the magic has worn off. Jamie Jones, County Durham

Grey’s Anatomy

I was completely captivated when Grey’s Anatomy first aired in 2005. There were strong performances – notably Sandra Oh – and strong characters with interesting histories and gripping medical cases. Fast forward to the present day and only a handful of the original cast remain … and even they look bored with the proceedings. The younger doctors inspire little empathy and the storylines need oxygen. I could say urgently, but I think it best to let it rest in peace now. Ruth Muirhead, Wales

Prison Break

Series one felt like groundbreaking telly: stylish, gritty, twisty – I loved it. Series two followed the escapes so was a different show but still OK. But it really had nowhere else to go after that. Wrap it up? Nope, let’s stick them all back in another prison. Please. Matt, 43, Manchester

Coronation Street

A British friend and I have been watching Coronation Street for more than 50 years. It was a mindless pleasure that I would end my stressful day with. In the last year or so, it has become a stressor. There are so many sinister, evil characters now. I had to fast forward through the scenes with the character Theo. My British friend bailed on the show completely because of that storyline. I miss the silliness of affairs and neighbourhood arguments in the pub. Jane, 72, Toronto, Canada

House of the Dragon

I always liked the dragons in Game of Thrones, and I thought the prequel might be a fresh series that doesn’t have GoT’s later poor plotting baggage. Paddy Considine did such a superb turn in the first season as the troubled and sickly Viserys Targaryen. And I could even forgive the sudden cast changes in season one to account for elapsed time in the narrative. The soundtrack, by Ramin Djawadi, is lovely. Over three seasons, however, I’ve become increasingly apathetic about the characters. The show’s just fallen flat and hasn’t managed to reach the highs of the first few seasons of GoT. Perhaps it really is time that Warner Bros (and Disney etc) give up on legacy IP. Let’s have some new stuff, please. Reinhardt, 39, Pretoria, South Africa

Family Guy

Family Guy was hilarious. The first 10 or so seasons were all great for different reasons. It’s just fun – turn your brain off and laugh. But the last few years have been tiresome. Not awful, just plain. The voices are beginning to fade – I understand why, it’s been 25 seasons – and the jokes feel stale and uninspired. Don’t get me wrong, there are good episodes and some have great political commentary. But it has just gotten sour, to the point where I, an avid viewer, slowly stopped watching. I’ve found comfort in Bob’s Burgers now, but hey, maybe that’s just growing up! I still remember when Family Guy started … Hunter, Glasgow

Love for Lydia

This HE Bates drama was first shown in the late 70s when I was 14. I adored Lydia who was played by Mel Martin. She looked so sophisticated with a beautiful black bob hairstyle. Men fell in love with her left, right and centre. I wanted to be Lydia. Last year it was shown again on Talking Pictures TV. With age comes experience and I could see how terribly selfish and insensitive Lydia actually was. She was a beautiful monster and Richardson who was besotted with her was a complete drip! Julie Coan, 63, Heywood, Greater Manchester

The Office (US)

The prime example would be the American Office. Carell departing was too much to overcome, despite the star power of Will Ferrell and Kathy Bates. No disrespect to those actors; I understand the dilemma. If a first season of a show is successful, they want to continue, and as viewers we want more. But it’s becoming increasingly rare that after the flush of initial quality, subsequent seasons can continue the magic. Charles David, Michigan, USA

Scrubs

I can’t stand Dr Cox’s “tough love” any more. His character was heralded for his honesty, especially compared with the slimy Dr Kelso, but Cox was a manipulative, sexist bully. Sharon, 42, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Gilmore Girls

I am in a perpetual cycle of Gilmore Girls rewatch – it’s my cosy year-round comfort show. However, I don’t watch season seven, or God forbid, the Netflix revival. Season seven totally betrays the cute and cosy atmosphere of seasons one to six, and the lives of the main characters drastically change. I suppose that happens after six years, but the showrunner also changed and you can feel the pull in a new direction. Needless to say, elopement and sexting should never have been on the cards. Jazz, 38, Windsor

Roseanne

Roseanne was, for a long time, a wonderful sitcom and one which has given many, many happy memories. Razor-sharp dialogue and wit, extremely likable characters with terrific, emotional, relatable storylines all laced with a real bite. Then it just went completely off the rails towards the end with an utterly nonsensical plot. A real shame because it was one of the best TV shows ever made. Michael, Bristol

The Boys

The Boys began as a topical, biting commentary on modern superhero movies and our political landscape. Its final two seasons felt like a caricature of itself, with characters reduced to bizarre versions of themselves and lazy writing that completely failed to tackle the modern US. Aaron, Lancashire